A Fresh Start
by Twilily
Summary: Started as a one-shot then moved to two. Cabe has to tell Walter that he's no longer with Homeland. How will Walter take the news? Prompt from ismile83. (Will continue as additional one-shots once Season 2 begins!)
1. Chapter 1

_Hi all! This story was a prompt from **ismile83**. It's more Cabe and Walter centric with a bit of the others in. It's my take on how Cabe would tell Walter that he wasn't with Homeland anymore and how Walter might react. I hope you like it!_

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own Scorpion, but I wish I did!_

* * *

Cabe parked outside the garage with a bag of bagels in his front seat from Kavelski's around the corner. It was the first day Walter was going to be back from the hospital and he wanted to make sure that the team had everything they needed when their fearless leader returned to restricted duty.

The doctors had been very clear when they explained that Walter was not to engage in any work activities beyond a desk for the next few weeks. The injury to his side, due to the guardrail impaling his spleen, was extensive and would need time to heal fully. Everyone, Cabe included, knew that keeping Walter static would be difficult.

Stepping through the door, Cabe recognized the fact that he hadn't been back to the garage since before the team practically imploded due to him finally revealing what he knew about the Bagdad incident to Walter. It had been the third worst day of his life, behind losing his daughter and having to lie to Walter the first time about the bombings. Computers, desks, the video game cabinet and Walter's rocket were all still in place, yet it felt different somehow.

He knew that he was different.

Taking a quick glance at his attire, he felt out of place. In lieu of his tradition black suit, he wore a black tshirt, jeans and boots. Something he would wear at home, off-duty, but never to the garage and never during the traditional work week. He knew he would be called out on it, but no one, aside from Sylvester, knew that Homeland was no longer calling the shots for the former agent.

He had initially been shocked that Sly had kept the secret, since the human calculator wasn't a fan of deception. But due to everyone focusing on saving Walter from the cliff that day followed by the new focus of Walter's recovery, the topic never came up. Anytime the subject of work was mentioned, everyone's mentality was to deal with it later, when Walter returned to Scorpion.

So an impromptu week of 'vacation' was enacted for the team. Each genius had been working on their own pet projects while Paige and Ralph stopped by everyday to make sure they were all eating, taking breaks, etc. Cabe's daily phone calls to Paige were to ensure the same things, but from a distance. He didn't feel comfortable coming back to the garage, not yet.

He didn't know where he stood with 197 and today would make or break their relationship. Cabe's deception was certainly not forgotten, but words were exchanged cliffside that gave him hope of redemption. Walter mentioned that he didn't want any more secrets between the two.

Cabe had one more secret to tell.

He could hear the commotion caused by Happy and Toby back in her shop area of the garage. From what Cabe could tell, the behaviorist was dodging flying tools again. _Some things never change_. He headed for the kitchen and dropped off the bag of bagels before pulling a mug from the cabinet and filling it with coffee from the half-full pot.

He braced himself for the cinnamon flavor that seemed to have permeated the pot in the last month or so but it wasn't there. _Thank God._ It had been awful but caffeine was caffeine in his book, disgusting or not.

"Good, isn't it? You can thank me anytime."

Toby's voice called over his shoulder.

"It's decent. No cinnamon anymore? Not that I'm complaining," Cabe said, taking another sip.

"Walter hasn't been here to make the coffee."

"Walter?"

"Oh yeah, didn't you know? He was the one poisoning the coffee supply with the elf spice."

"Do I want to know why?"

"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count."

Cabe only grunted as he sipped from his mug. He could only imagine that it had to do with Walter's fascination with Paige, whether the genius admitted that or not. She seemed to be the only one who enjoyed the coffee, so it was now starting to make sense that she was his reasoning behind the decision. Remembering Walter's defiance on the cliff in regards to Paige only solidified his thoughts. _Well I'll be damned._

"No monkey suit today?" Toby's voice interrupted his thoughts again.

"Huh?"

"You seem to be going for a casual dress day today," the behaviorist said as he gestured to Cabe's attire.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"Nothing. Just stating my observations."

Before Cabe could respond, the door to the garage opened and Ralph stepped through.

"Hey Ralphy-boy!"

"Hi Toby. Mom is helping Walter out of the car. She told me to make sure you were here in case Walter needs medical assistance. They are currently arguing."

"Arguing? About what, son?" Cabe's ears perked up.

"Mom wants Walter in bed."

Toby spit out the coffee he had just poured for himself.

"Paige said she wanted Walter in bed? Interesting…" Toby's comment was cut short by a slap to the back of the head.

"Zip it, Doc." Happy had joined the boys club just in time to see Toby nearly wet himself with Ralph's comment.

"But he said he wanted to stay downstairs. He was tired of laying down." Ralph continued, not picking up on the adult conversation happening around him.

"I'm sure she could make it more interesting for him," Toby said under his breath.

"Toby!" This time it was Cabe that stopped the genius.

The door to the garage opened again and in stumbled Walter, looking a little worse for wear, being half-carried by Paige, who was under his right arm.

"Hey guys. A little help."

Cabe hustled over to the two.

"So, did Ralph tell you about the difference of opinions between Walter and myself?"

"Yeah, that you want Walter in bed but he's rejecting you…or your idea, rather." Toby was always blunt.

Paige froze briefly at the comment but regained her composure as Cabe came to her aid with Walter. Walter, not picking up on Toby's innuendo, tried to explain his side.

"Toby, I've been in a hospital bed for the last week. I just want to be in a different position."

"Don't even think about it," Happy hissed under her breath. Toby would have had a field day with that one.

"Anyway, I want to stay downstairs, sit at my desk, anything but lay down again. It can't do me any harm, right?"

"Well, it could but I seriously doubt it would," Toby assessed. "Paige, Walt should be good down here, as long as someone is keeping an eye on him and he doesn't try to do anything that would pull at his side."

Paige wanted to argue, but she saw the way Walter's eye lit up and couldn't refuse him.

"Fine. But if you start to do something that will jeopardize your health, we're going upstairs. Got it?"

"Copy that."

Cabe couldn't help smiling at the interaction between the two. He had told Walter that having a family could be a good thing and he felt that the family dynamic between the genius, young mom and little boy was going to start changing soon.

The three shifted over to the leather couch and gingerly got 197 to sit down. Paige continued to check on Walter while Cabe looked on.

"Sylvester's not with you?" Happy was looking at the door.

"No, he's with Megan," Paige said smiling. "He came with me this morning to pick up Walter but stayed behind to spend time with her."

Walter huffed a little and Paige just smiled at him.

"I think it's sweet. Don't be jealous."

"I'm not. It's just…my side."

"Mmm hmmm. Sure it is."

"Walter?" Ralph came up to his mentor. "Is it alright if I play Proton Arnold? I haven't played it since you've been in the hospital in case you wanted to play when you got home."

"Of course you can. I'll watch you from here."

Ralph's smile stretched from ear to ear, which made everyone smile.

"I'm going to have a word with Toby then I'll grab you a water to take your meds, ok?"

Walter nodded and watched her walk away. Paige lightly hit Toby on the shoulder before gesturing to the kitchen. Happy just smiled and shook her head as she followed the two. Once Paige was out of site, Walter's focused briefly to Ralph at the game cabinet before shifting to Cabe, who was still standing in front of him.

They both wanted to talk and, at the same time, began to.

"Listen, kid…

"Cabe, about last week…"

"Walter, I know I screwed up. I get that you will probably hold it against me for the rest of my life and I can accept that."

"Cabe, I wanted to…apologize."

"For what?" Cabe sat down next to Walter on the couch, unsure of what the young man could be sorry for.

"For kicking you off the team. Paige was right. I was making unilateral decisions that were based on betrayal and not logical reasons. I was mad and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"You did what you thought you needed to do. And I'm sorry too."

"I want to move forward from this and the trust will need to be rebuilt, but I don't think it's a lost cause. I'd like to try, if you would be willing to come back to Scorpion."

Cabe shifted on the couch. This is what he needed to tell Walter. The final secret between the two men.

"Ah, Walt…about that."

"What? You don't want to come back?" Walter's tone was steady but his face was showing confusion.

"Son, I would be back in a heartbeat, but there is something you need to know."

"I'm listening."

"I not only resigned from Scorpion but from Homeland as well."

"What?" Walter couldn't quite comprehend that statement.

"Merrick reassigned me the morning of your accident, basically demoting me to Pamona Airport. He was ragging on the team, so I told him to shove it and turned in my badge."

"You left Homeland."

"Yes." Cabe's voice was drawn out as he watched Walter's eyes started shifting quickly as if he was running equations in his head.

"Because of us."

"Not just because of you guys, but let's just say that Merrick and I were coming to a head anyway."

"This is my fault." Walter began trying to get up from the couch before Cabe put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Walter, it's not your fault. Merrick was probably looking for a way to get me out for a while. I didn't exactly play by the rules once I got involved with this team, no matter how much I tried to."

"But if I hadn't insisted you be out of Scorpion, you wouldn't have been demoted and you wouldn't have felt the need to resign."

Walter was trying to get up out of his seat again, fighting harder. Cabe could see the pain on Walter's face and he could tell that it was from his injury. His body wasn't going to be able to handle much more if he kept pushing.

"Kid, calm down. I would do it again if I had to. He had always felt threatened by this team and I will always protect you and the others. It's what I've always tried to do with you misfits."

"No, you shouldn't have had to. I can fix this."

Cabe knew he needed help to get the genius calmed down.

"PAIGE!"

"I need to talk to Merrick. If I can get to my computer, I can fix this." Walter was beginning to mumble to himself.

"What's going on?" Paige came from the kitchen with the promised bottle of water and saw the two men struggling.

"I need your help in calming him down. He's not listening to me at the moment." Cabe was trying not to hurt the genius more than he was no doubt hurting himself.

"Walter?"

Nothing. He still struggled against Cabe. She placed the bottle on the coffee table and walked right up to Walter.

"Walter? What did I tell you earlier? I will take you upstairs if you don't calm down right now!"

Walter stopped fighting and stood up as straight as he could with his injured side. Cabe was stunned at how quickly the liaison could get through to Walter. Paige placed a hand gingerly on his face.

"Ok, now, talk to me."

"I can fix this. I _need_ to fix this." His eyes kept shifting from hers to Cabe behind her. She didn't understand what needed fixing.

"Cabe? Clarification."

"I told him I resigned from Homeland the day of the accident."

"What?" Paige whipped her head around to face the now former-agent. This was news to her too.

"Walter thinks this is his fault, which it's _not_ ," Cabe said.

"It is. I kicked you off the team. Merrick demoted you. You resigned. I started the chain of events that lead us to where we are now, which is you being currently unemployed."

Walter was starting to lean to his left, favoring his injury, which caught Paige's attention. She moved to his right side and tried to guide him back to the couch.

"Ok, Walter. Let's get you to sit down."

"The desk. I can work from there." He leaned into Paige but was able to turn both of them towards his workspace.

"No, Walter. You aren't supposed to be working."

"I'll be on the computer, not doing anything strenuous. Let me do this."

Paige gave Cabe a look who just nodded in return.

"Fine. But you better get Cabe or me to help you out of your chair when you are done."

"Understood."

Paige was able to get Walter situated at his desk. She turned to Cabe and pulled him away from the team leader.

"You aren't with Homeland?"

"Nope."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"We had enough going on with 197 over there."

"Are you ok? I know this can't be an easy change for you."

"It's been taking some getting used to, but I don't regret my decision."

"You've been sticking up for this team since day one. That's a big deal."

"So have you."

"It's worth it. They are worth it."

"That they are, kid."

They both looked over to Walter who was focused on his computer screen.

"Do you think he really can get you back into Homeland?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure if he can or not and I'm not sure that I care. The fact that he's fighting _for_ me instead of _against_ me is what gives me hope that no matter the outcome, he and I will be ok. That's all that matters in my book."

Paige wrapped her arm around Cabe to give him a friendly hug. She believed in Scorpion and she believed that everyone would work out the way it needed to.

As the two normal chatted, Walter was busy. He remembered Cabe mentioning that Merrick was the one who let Cabe know of the plans about the bombs three days before they were dropped. This meant that Merrick had known long before the intended outcome of Walter's software. He likely used Cabe to use Walter, leaving the two men in the dark about the real mission.

Walter just needed to prove it. To use a civilian in such a way and not tell of them of their intended use, when it could have saved lives instead of destroyed them, was wrong. Walter just needed to prove that Merrick withheld information that lead to the loss of life that could have been prevented, therefore ordering the murder of innocents.

Hacking into the federal database wasn't legal and he could get caught, hindering the help he was trying to achieve, but it was worth it. But they'd have to catch him. He started first with the file dump Merrick ordered a week ago. If he could sift through the data there, he would have a starting point in which to start digging.

This continued for almost half an hour. Paige had come by to give Walter his water and pills, which Walter refused to take.

"Walter, you need to take your pills."

"I will, as soon as I get this file sent."

"Walter…"

"Please."

"Ok, as soon as you finish. Deal?"

"Deal."

And Walter was back to work. He had collected all of the offended data and needing to finish compiling it into his anonymous drop. It couldn't lead back to him, the team or more importantly, Cabe. Walter knew that if he could remove Merrick, he would have more sway getting Cabe back into Homeland and back with Scorpion.

A few more keystrokes and Walter sent his file. He caught Paige's eye and automatically reached over to get his meds, popped them into his mouth and chugged half of his water bottle. She smiled back at him, pleased he held up his end of the bargain.

Walter glanced back over at the couch, where Cabe had taken up residency with a magazine. He looked relaxed and Walter appreciated the fact that his father figure was actually getting a break for once. He didn't know if he could _really_ fix this, but he was going to try like hell to get everything back the way it was.

The way it was supposed to be.

* * *

 _So, what did you think?! I'm going off of the fact that Merrick is leaving Homeland and the new Director will be in place. I would love if Walter was a reason for that swap. ;-)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow! So many of you would actually like to see more from this story. Thank you! I will do what I can. I really saw it as just a lead in for Season 2, so I wasn't planning on venturing much further than what I wrote initially. I can probably give you ONE more chapter that will likely get us closer to the first epi of S2 and then I'll leave it at that._

 _PS…anyone see the Twitter updates from Robert Patrick from day one of shooting S2? He was wearing a black t-shirt, LIKE I WROTE! Crazy! Who knows if that was really his costume, but it made me smile nonetheless._ _Anyway, on with the show. (Also...see if you catch the FOREVER reference I snuck in there)._

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own nuffin' but my dog._

* * *

Walter kept scanning the news for any information about a change in leadership at Homeland, but nothing was popping up on the usual channels. He didn't figure it would, but it never hurt to keep looking. Without Cabe as the inside man, he didn't want to risk going back to hack the system just to find out if there had been a personnel shift. So, he kept sitting on his hands so that it didn't come back to bite him, Cabe or the team in the butt.

It had been another week since he'd returned to Scorpion and thus, a week since he committed the crime. Things didn't happen overnight, but he had hoped that in seven nights something would have changed. Then again, it was the US Government…he shouldn't have had that much faith in the system.

He was getting much better at moving around on his own, but the stitches still pulled. He was waiting for Paige to come into work so she could take him to the hospital for his checkup. She refused to let him drive and while he did argue with her about it, he gave in and was grateful that she wanted to help. He wasn't nervous of getting behind the wheel of a car but he wasn't exactly excited about it either. He looked forward to driving again when he had regained full mobility. That was the more efficient solution, thus avoiding another hospital trip.

But he had to admit that having Paige take care of him this week had been enjoyable, more so than he thought it would be.

He had Toby help him change his bandages. His reasoning was that Toby was an actual doctor, but he knew it was because he didn't know how he would handle Paige's hands on his torso and back. He was getting better with her touch, much better in fact, but being half naked in her presence was both something he wanted and didn't want all at the same time.

"WALTER!"

That was not the voice he was expecting.

Cabe had entered the garage with a loud bang of the door closing behind him. He had been expecting Paige, not the former agent.

"What's going on, Cabe?"

"Nothing. Just checking to see that you were here."

"Uh, where else would I be? I'm practically under house arrest here thanks to you, Toby and Paige."

"You know it's for your own good, right?"

"Yeah. I know." Walter turned around, sulking slightly, and went back to his desk.

Cabe smirked at the genius and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee. His new job had him up half the night due to the schedule so he was dragging a bit. As he got closer, he could smell cinnamon…again. _Damnit_ , he thought to himself.

"Hey there, Super Gallo."

"Toby." He reached for a mug and proceeded to brace himself for the spiced coffee when Toby stopped him.

"Oh, you don't want that."

"I don't seem to have much of a choice, now do I?"

"Oh contraire. Follow me."

Toby led Cabe back to Happy's workstation where he smelt the aroma of uninfected coffee. There, on Happy's table, was another coffee maker.

"A second pot?"

"Did something useful with my last paycheck. I figured with what I was spending at Kavelsky's on a daily basis, this bad boy would more than pay for itself. Plus, I figured the rest of the pleebs would appreciate it."

He looked over at Happy who simply raised her mug in the air and went back to work.

"Not a bad idea, kid," Cabe said as he poured the black liquid into his own mug.

"Why, thank you Cabe. I'm touched. Just don't tell…"

"What is that?" Walter had come to the back to see where everyone had gone.

"…Walter." Toby was a little disheartened for being caught. He had gotten the machine three days ago and had been able to keep it hidden from the boss.

"Coffee. What's it look like?" Cabe laughed heartily at the dumbfounded look on 197's face.

"Why do we have two coffee pots? There is perfectly good coffee in the kitchen. This is inefficient."

"That is _your_ pot to share with Paige," Toby stated quickly.

"Why?"

"Because you are the only two that can stand that cinnamon stuff. Paige drinks it because she likes it, and you drink it because you like Paige." Toby watched as Walter's eyes grew wider for a split second before he recovered.

"Toby, we've been through this…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell me something I don't know."

Walter started to open his mouth.

"On second thought, don't. Anyway, I bought this contraption with my money, so it stays." And with that, Toby walked away leaving a scowling Walter and grinning Cabe.

Cabe continued drinking, or in his case, practically chugging, his coffee as he headed back into the main room of the garage. He stopped briefly in the kitchen to rinse out his mug and set it on a paper towel.

"Alright son, you ready to go?" Cabe asked as he headed for the door.

"Go where?" Walter was confused.

"Your appointment. I'm taking you because Paige can't make it."

"What? Why? Is she ok?"

"Hold your horses, Romeo. She's fine. She's stuck at her apartment because the plumber is still there and she's not able to leave yet."

"Why didn't she call me? I don't have to go to the hospital today."

"She said you'd say that. And before you say anything about changing your appointment, she actually tried for you, but couldn't reschedule before the weekend. You got a keeper there, pal."

Cabe watched Walter's eyes roll back in his head.

"So, you get me instead. Sorry I'm not as easy on the eyes for you."

Walter just glared at him.

"I still don't understand why she didn't call me."

"Because she knew you'd try to get out of going and she was putting you first. Like I said...she's a keeper, just make sure to pay her back one day. Women like that."

"I wouldn't know," Walter said, mumbling to himself.

"I know. Now move it, buster. If I get you to your appointment late, Paige will have my head."

Walter walked over to his desk, picked up his phone, made sure he had his wallet and followed Cabe out the door.

Paige would always make sure that Walter was in the car ok before walking around to the driver's side and getting in herself. Unlike with Paige, Cabe left Walter to fend for himself. Walter was fully capable of ensuring he was in the vehicle securely, but it was nice that she paid that much attention to him. She was a mother after all. Comforting and nurturing were wired into her DNA. However, not having that attention on him this morning was a bit of a relief. He missed Paige, but it felt good to do things himself again.

The two men started their drive without chatter. Cabe had a local rock station playing on the radio and it kept the ride from being totally silent. Walter decided he would try to implement one of Paige's social experiments and engage with Cabe. If it was a failure, they could go back to just listening to music.

"How's the new job?"

"Not bad. Definitely different than government work, but being a Technical Advisor isn't awful. The hours are crap because sometimes their work calls are at odd times, but then again they aren't too bad since I have a bit more flexibility when it comes to you guys."

"Speaking of, thanks…for the ride. I, uh, appreciate it."

"No problem, kid."

And that was all Walter really had, so they spent the rest of the ride in silence, both men nodding in beat with the music even now and then. When they pulled up to the hospital, Cabe parked close to the entrance and they made their way into the building.

Walter had to remind himself that he wasn't going in to see Megan, so he had to mentally veer himself away from the automatic route he would have normally taken. That would be tomorrow, as long as Paige was still available to take him. Though the more efficient thing to do would be to see his sister today, he knew Sylvester was there and he didn't want to interrupt their visit.

They made it to the waiting room for the doctor he was supposed to see and after checking Walter in, they sat in two chairs next to each other. Cabe immediately reached for a magazine while Walter looked around and took in the room.

"Walt, you nervous about something?"

"No, why?" Walter was a bit anxious, but not nervous. Paige usually was here with him and calmed him before interactions with medical personnel.

"Then stop bouncing your leg up and down. It's shaking my chair too."

"Sorry." Walter looked back at Cabe, who never looked up from his magazine. "I'm going to make a phone call. Come get me if they call my name."

"Will do."

Walter stepped away and dialed his phone.

"Hey Walter." Paige's voice over the phone instantly helped him change his demeanor.

"Hi."

"Did Cabe get you to the doctor ok? I'm sorry I couldn't make it. This took way longer than they estimated."

"Yes, we're here now, waiting to go in."

"Good." There was a pause and neither of them spoke. "You ok?"

"Yeah."

"Walter?"

"Paige, why didn't you call or message me about not being able to make it? We could have rescheduled."

"Walter, you needed to go today. It's better to stay on track with recoveries like yours. You should know that. Anyway, Cabe was already on his way to see you. I figured he would get to you before I would be able to call. I'm sorry for not letting you know. I just really needed to be here."

"No, I understand. I just don't want you to think that you can't talk me or that you're life isn't more important than things happening at the garage…" Walter was prepared to continue his rambling when Paige cut him off.

"You know I don't think that, Walter." Paige's comment was met with silence, so she continued, having a fairly good idea why Walter was _really_ calling.

"Hey, I know you are anxious about this appointment. It will be fine and you'll be as good as new soon! Deep breath, ok?"

Walter unconsciously inhaled deeply. He heard Paige giggle through the phone.

"Now, I'll be at the garage when you and Cabe get back. I'll see you then, ok?"

"Ok."

"Bye Walter." He could hear the smile in her voice, which made him smile.

"Bye." He hung up the phone and did feel a little more relaxed.

Walking back into the waiting room, Walter spotted Cabe, who didn't look like he shifted at all while he had been gone, and sat back down next to him.

"How's Paige?" Again, he never looked up from his magazine.

"What? I didn't call her." Walter was unsure how Cabe knew he called Paige. He checked his phone and made sure the screen wasn't on. It wasn't.

"Walter, didn't we say there would be no more secrets between us?"

Walter paused for a moment before letting go on the ruse and admitting the truth.

"She's fine. She'll be at the garage by the time we get back."

"Good."

"Cabe, how did you know I called Paige?"

"You're leg stopped bouncing."

Walter looked down at his leg, which had indeed stopped moving.

"Walter O'Brien?" The nurse from the door called out to the small group in the waiting room.

"Looks like you're up, son. Let's go." Dropping his magazine on the side table, Cabe stood up gesturing to Walter.

"You don't need to come with me."

"Does Paige?"

"Yes?"

"Then so am I. Knowing you, you'd conveniently leave out important information from the doctor and then she'd kill both of us. I'm coming, so deal with it."

Walter rolled his eyes _again_ and proceeded to follow the nurse with Cabe behind him. They were led into a white room and Walter had his vitals taken. He was able to calculate faster than the nurse, but after what Paige said before he was released from the hospital, something along the lines of normals don't necessarily appreciate being shown up at their job by someone who doesn't do it, he kept his mouth shut. At least she calculated correctly, just slowly.

When the doctor entered the room, he helped Walter lift his tshirt to remove the current bandage and check the wound.

"You really were lucky, Mr. O'Brien."

Walter was about to say his theory on luck and how it doesn't exist, but a warning look from Cabe stopped him.

"Yes, I know."

"Well, it's looking good. One more week and you'll be able to get the stitches removed. The wound looks clean, so well done on that. Any unusual pain not associated with the injury?"

"No. Just the pull of the stitches now and then. It's manageable." Cabe smirked a bit at the genius' statement. He could see the grimace on Walter's face and could see he was uncomfortable with the poking and prodding.

"And you are good on pain pills?"

"Yes. I have 22 left."

Both Cabe and Walter watched the doctor stop and reread his clipboard.

"At this point in your treatment, you shouldn't have that many. Have you been taken them as prescribed?"

"No. I don't take them often. They mess with my head a bit." Walter glanced over at Cabe. "I'm…not a fan."

Cabe felt for the younger man. He knew Walter's brain was his life and if the medicine he was given made him feel off, he wouldn't like it.

"Ok, that's fine, but if you _are_ in pain, you should take them. Your body is still recovering. They are non-habit-forming." The doctor returned to making more notes on Walter's charts.

"Mmmm." Walter was now at the point where he just wanted to get out of the room.

"Well, just keep doing what you are doing, stay to restrictive duty until we get the stitches out and I'll see you next week."

"Ok," Walter said, pulling his tshirt back down over the new bandage and getting off of the examination table, never making eye contact with the doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor." Cabe reached over and shook the man's hand when Walter wouldn't.

"Of course."

They followed the doctor out the door and headed to check out to make Walter's next appointment. He didn't like not having Paige with him for this. He still wasn't great with interacting with people and since he would still be relying on her next week for a ride, he didn't know what would work best for her. He figured he would aim for the same time of day and hope for the best. Before he had the chance to speak up, the nurse at the reception desk spoke.

"Oh, Mr. O'Brien. You're appointment has already been set up for next week, so we'll see you then."

"Um, excuse me…I haven't made my appointment yet, so how can it have been set already?"

"A Ms. Dineen called and scheduled it. Would you like to change it?"

"No!" He looked back at Cabe, who had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "No, whatever she set should be fine. Thank you."

Walter turned and headed out of the waiting room, Cabe on his heels.

"What did I tell you?"

Walter couldn't help the smile that creeped onto his face.

"She's a keeper. I know."

"That she is, son. Don't forget it." Cabe said, clasping his hand on Walter's shoulder quickly before dropping so the he didn't become uncomfortable.

The car ride back to the garage was quiet again but more relaxed. Walter was happy that he was healing appropriately, which meant he should be able to become more active at the garage soon. There were a number of projects that needed his attention but had been put on the back burner since his accident.

Cabe pulled up to the garage and he and Walter got out of the car. Before they could get too far, Cabe's phone rang.

"Gallo. I'm sorry, say again? Of course. I'll get right on it. Thank you."

"Cabe?" Walter could see a look of slight astonishment on the older man's face.

"What did you do, Walter?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"That was the Director of Homeland." Cabe statement had the genius freezing a bit. _Was he not as careful as he thought? Did they trace his hack back to him?_

"What did Merrick want?" Walter asked carefully.

"Not Merrick. A new Director, Adriana Martinez, and she wants me and Scorpion back with Homeland."

"What?" That was news.

"You had something to do with this, didn't you?" Stepping closer to Walter, Cabe gauged his eyes.

"Of course not."

"Don't lie to me, Walter. We don't want to go down that road again."

"Fine. Yes, I may have had something to do with it, but he had it coming. And I don't regret it. Ok? Happy?"

"Thank you, Walter." Cabe's sincerity caught Walter offguard.

"For what?"

"For having my back. I appreciate it."

"You aren't mad?" Walter still didn't get normals.

"I'm frustrated that you did something we both know to be illegal, but I'm proud of you for having the guts to stick up for me. Just don't tell me what you did, ok? Best to keep me in the dark about this one."

"Deal."

They headed back into the garage and Cabe yelled out something the team didn't think they would hear for a long time.

"Hey geniuses! We got a case!"

* * *

 _I hope you liked this chapter. I pulled information about Cabe's new gig from an interview about Alana joining the cast. I'm assuming when they say he's a Hollywood Technical Advisory that he's some kind of advisor on movie/tv sets that need to know what government agents do, etc, to make the actors more authentic. Who knows. And I'm sorry about having another coffee discussion. I just think it's funny!_

 _PS…I might try to update this story as Season 2 progresses. I'm sure the ideas will be flowing._


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